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OPINIONSJackson County opinion page

SPORTSSEE THIS WEEK'S PIGSKIN PICKERS!

Lady Tigers Take Fourth In State
Finishing fourth in the state is quite an accomplishment, but
the Commerce Lady Tigers must be forgiven if they wonder "what
if" after their fourth place finish in the Class A state
softball tournament.

Lady Dragons claim softball crown
The Lady Dragons of Jefferson High School overcame a series of
late-season setbacks last week to win the school's first state
slow-pitch softball title. In fact, the crown is the first for
Jefferson in any girls' sport.

Quiet bats deny Lady Panthers
The Jackson County slow-pitch softball team wrapped up its 2000
season last week in the state class AAA tournament in Columbus.
The Lady Panthers were eliminated from competition after losing
their first two games, 8-0 to Perry and 17-11 to Forsyth Central.

Neighborhood News...MADISON COUNTYControversial rezoning requests withdrawn
Two controversial rezoning requests were withdrawn this past
week.
Madison County Board of Commissioners chairman Wesley Nash reported
at Monday's BOC meeting that a request by John and Robin Berry
for a conditional use permit on 41.88 acres of agricultural land
on Drake Woods Road was withdrawn.

Fortson indicted on five charges
A Winterville woman accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend and
encasing his body in cement was indicted on five charges last
week.
A Madison County Grand Jury indicted Tracy Lea Fortson of Smithonia
Road in Winterville for malice murder, felony murder, two counts
of aggravated assault and attempted arson.

News fromBANKS COUNTYJudge rules 'Baldwin owns plant'
The "Water Plant War" between Baldwin and Demorest
is over with a judgment made in Baldwin's favor.

Three teens arrested in package store robbery
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the County Line
Package Store armed robbery two weeks ago.

Timmy Barrow of North Carolina was in Commerce
Friday and Saturday to participate in a unique professional association.
He's a Letterhead, one of 50 to 60 who met to exchange knowledge
and learn new skills.

BOC to seek court
order for probate judge records
Jackson County Board of Commissioners chairman Jerry Waddell
plans to call a special meeting this week to seek a court order
to force probate judge Margaret Deadwyler to release financial
records for her office.
But Deadwyler said the action is just an effort by Waddell to
have her defeated in the Nov. 7 elections.
Waddell said this week that Deadwyler had refused to release
some financial records to a county auditor Wednesday morning.
Although Deadwyler did release the latest financial report, Waddell
said she wouldn't release other documents.
"She gave us quarterly reports just typed out on a piece
of paper," Waddell said. "She wouldn't let us have
the bank statement to reconcile and we asked her for a receipt
book and she refused to do that. We just want to verify the numbers
is all that we want to do."
Deadwyler is allowed by state law to keep $7,500 each year from
vital record fees. All fees collected over $7,500 must go to
the county. Waddell said the county hasn't received any reports
about these funds since 1999.
"I have done nothing wrong and I ask the citizens of Jackson
County to ignore this deplorable and malicious attempt to prevent
my re-election," said Deadwyler.

Braselton mulls
full-time police force
The Braselton City Council met Monday in a called work session
to discuss the possibility of providing a full-time police force.
During the one-hour session, the council determined that the
estimated cost of the program would be between $200,000 and $300,000
annually, based on a department with three patrol cars, four
officers and a full time chief.
The council decided to mail a questionnaire to all city residents
asking whether they would support a full time department.

Republicans slap
use of 'Democratics'
Jackson County Republican Party chairman Candice Gunn recently
made an appeal to the Georgia Secretary of State's office on
the use of "Democratic" instead of "Democrat"
on the Nov. 7 ballot.
The appeal was denied by the state.
The matter was discussed in the recent newsletter of the local
Republican Party.
Calling use of the word "shabby," the newsletter said
the appeal was "turned down by that gang of Democratics."
Probate Judge Margaret Deadwyler said she used "Democratics"
after consulting both the state elections board and the printer
for the ballot.

Black resigns
as mayor of Arcade
In a move that has fueled rampant speculation about a possible
legal investigation, Gary Black resigned as mayor of Arcade last
week.
Since that action, rumors have circulated across the county that
a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations of ticket-fixing
led to Black's resignation. But GBI agent Bill Malueg said Monday
that there has not been any investigation of Black or the City
of Arcade by his agency. District attorney Tim Madison also said
this week that he is not aware of any allegations of wrongdoing
in the city and said his office wasn't involved in the situation.
In a letter of resignation to the city council, Black cited a
"new business venture" as among the reasons he is stepping
down.
Black also said he wishes to devote more time to his son. The
resignation is immediate.
"I feel that during the three years that I have been mayor
that I have gotten the city back on track and have helped the
city to move forward," Black wrote in the letter.
An election will be held March 20 to fill the vacant seat. In
the meantime, mayor pro tem Doug Haynie will preside at council
meetings.
Black is the third Jackson County mayor to resign in recent months.
Pendergrass Mayor Mark Tolbert and Nicholson Mayor Steve Wilbanks
resigned earlier.

Tolbert defends
Water Wise deal at Hall forum
Rep. Scott Tolbert again defended his actions on behalf of the
private sewage firm Water Wise at a political forum in Hall County
Tuesday night. It was the first public comment from Tolbert on
the issue since Water Wise owner Jerry Wickliffe pled guilty
in federal court this month to public corruption charges for
rigging bids in Georgia and Alabama.
"[Jackson County] had the opportunity to have a private
company come in and actually operate sewage free of charge for
the county," Tolbert said in response to a question from
the audience. "They were going to lay pipes. They were going
to give Jackson County $50,000 up front and then give Jackson
County 10 percent of the proceeds. At the end of 10 or 15 years,
they were actually going to give the plant to Jackson County.
The county government would actually direct the company on where
to lay the pipes."
But Tolbert's opponent, Jackson County commissioner Pat Bell,
expressed "surprise" that Tolbert would still defend
the firm and Wickliffe even after the federal charges and guilty
plea.
"This gentleman [Wickliffe] has now been indicted for bid-rigging
and public corruption," she said. "If we (county leaders)
had not fought this battle long and hard and meant business,
then we would be saddled with a sewer system from a man no one
can trust."
Wickliffe had wanted to set up a private sewage system to serve
a large area of Jackson County that is outside existing municipal
sewage services. But county leaders, including Bell, opposed
the plans because Water Wise would have had the power to condemn
private land without any local oversight, thus having the power
to direct the county's future growth by deciding where sewer
lines would be run.
Tolbert helped set up the initial stages of the Water Wise dealings
in Jackson County and when the county balked, turned to his brother
and father on the Pendergrass City Council for assistance in
moving the deal forward.
County leaders saw that as an end-run and took legal action to
stop Wickliffe. Tolbert and his law firm defended Water Wise
in court. The county prevailed in those proceedings and then
asked that legislation be introduced to prevent future sewage
firms from having the power of land condemnation without local
approval. Sen. Eddie Madden introduced that bill in the General
Assembly this year on behalf of Jackson County.
Rep. Tolbert opposed that legislation and made an unsuccessful
attempt to kill the bill when it reached the state House. It
was after that action Bell decided to run in opposition to Tolbert
for the District 25 House seat, saying that Tolbert had misused
his public office in an effort to help a private legal client.
Also at the forum held at Gainesville College, the candidates
discussed Governor Roy Barnes' Education Reform Act.
Bell said that though she was not involved in the passing of
the reform, she feels that "when you have a system that
is ninth in spending and 49th in results, something has to be
done. I'm not so much concerned with the act as I am with the
results."
Bell cited her involvement with the formation of the Regional
Evening School and said that it is important to offer such education
alternatives. Though Bell couldn't see any reason not to be for
smaller class sizes, Tolbert boasted that he had voted against
the reform act.
"We need to focus more on local control and we must, must,
must include teacher's opinions when we start developing these
ideas," he said. "This is where we messed up the first
time."

City Planners Say
'No' To
Rezoning For Mobile Homes
The Commerce Planning Commission will recommend that the city
council deny a developer's request to rezone land in the city's
black community for a mobile home subdivision.
Voting unanimously Monday night, the planning commission denied
a request to rezone 10 acres from R-3 to R-5 for Land Headquarters.
The property is located at East Cordes Place and backs up to
West Cordes Place and Cedar Drive.
Kevin Berry, a landscape architect from Athens, said the company
proposes to build a 20-foot buffer along U.S. 441 to screen the
neighborhood from traffic, to have access by a side street instead
of U.S. 441, and to require protective covenants. In addition,
the developer proposed a density of residences that would be
in the range of the R-2 classification.
Vice chairman Greg Perry noted that most of the city's mobile
home parks are already in Ward 1 and suggested that the black
community should be given the same considerations as the rest
of the town.
"If we ever want for them to have opportunities for stick-built
homes, we can't keep piling mobile homes on them. This would
be a nice, suitable tract for starter stick-built homes,"
he said.
Perry made the motion to recommend that the city council deny
the request.
"Fellows, build us some nice stick-built homes," he
told the developers.
In its only other action, the planning commission agreed to recommend
that the city council grant a conditional use permit to the Commerce
Church of Christ to build a new sanctuary on land it has purchased
on W.E. King Road.
The final decision on both issues will be made at the Commerce
City Council's Nov. 13 meeting at 6:30 at the Commerce Civic
Center.

Last Political
Forum Set Thursday
A political forum for all local candidates in the Nov. 7 election
will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Jackson EMC
auditorium.
It is sponsored by the Jackson County Farm Bureau and the Jackson
County Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Farm Bureau will have a spokesman to discuss the benefits
of Referendum A, and the rest of the two hours will be devoted
to candidates.
The candidates for sheriff, coroner and probate judge (Stan Evans
and Steve Gary, Keith Whitfield and Sammy Qualls, and L. Leann
Crawford and Margaret Deadwyler respectively) will get a minute
and a half apiece for an introduction and a minute for a closing
statement. A total of 10 minutes will be dedicated for the moderator
to ask questions submitted to him by the panel and the audience
for all six of those candidates.
The eight candidates for four board of commissioners posts will
have the same opening and closing times, but there will be 20
minutes of questions for the entire field. The candidates include
Stacey Britt and Thomas Benton, District 1; Don Blalock and Sammy
Thomason, District 2; Emil Beshara and Fran Thomas, District
3; and Tony Beatty and Daniel Sailors, District 4.
Candidates for the Georgia House of Representatives District
25 (Pat Bell and Scott Tolbert) and Georgia State Senate District
47 (Mike Beatty and Eddie Madden) will each have two minutes
for opening remarks and a minute and a half for closing remarks,
with 25 minutes devoted to questions from the panel and the audience.
Questions from the audience will be screened by the panel.